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K&N's Team Honda Austria on Track in International Austrian Supermoto State Championship

  • Jul 13, 2012
K&N's Team Honda Austria rider Florian Wedenig sits comfortably in the third spot heading into the second half of the Supermoto season.
K&N's Team Honda Austria rider Florian Wedenig sits comfortably in the third spot heading into the second half of the Supermoto season.
Nestled in the Eastern Alps, in the southernmost portion of Austria, is Carinthia. Mostly known for its jaw-dropping mountain landscape and a punctuation of lakes, Carinthia was the sight of the third race event of the international Austria Supermoto State Championship on July 1. Weather was once again a large part of the overall story, much like it was in the first race in Burgenland, Austria. Only this time instead of rain and muck, racers had to contend with stifling humidity and near triple-digit temperatures. Combining elements of motocross and road racing into one gripping race format is why Supermoto continues to grow as a fan favorite, but in Carinthia, climate once again proved to be the most demanding opponent.
Andreas Rothbauer currently sits in fourth place in International Austrian Supermoto State Championship heading into the second half of the season.
Andreas Rothbauer currently sits in fourth place in International Austrian Supermoto State Championship heading into the second half of the season.


K&N's Team Honda Austria riders are Andreas "Simpson" Rothbauer and Florian "Superflo" Wedenig. At race time the temperature and humidity were both hovering at about 95 degrees, and the team was frantically working to get the right set-up for proper tire grip on a track that is both dirt and melting pavement at this point.

Rothbauer, racing in the Class S1 Elite, got caught up at the start of the first moto, but once free he was able to push hard. Finding room to pass was extremely tricky and it took Rothbauer several laps before he could start apply pressure on KTM rider Haslinger in fifth place. The pressure proved too much for Haslinger as he crashed at the end of the long off-road section. Next Rothbauer closed the gap on fourth place, Kawasaki rider Florian Praxmarer, yet once again he was unable to find a safe passing lane to get around him, which secured a 5th place finish for the K&N rider.

In the second moto Rothbauer got a slightly better start, yet again he found himself looking at the back of Haslinger helmet. Rothbauer put together an impressive show of his race skills with a spectacular pass coming down the off-road passage, finishing once more behind Praxmarer for his second 5th place.

Despite facing some challenges the Austrian Supermoto State Championship continues to pickup in popularity with every event.
Despite facing some challenges the Austrian Supermoto State Championship continues to pickup in popularity with every event.
"Two 5th place finishes are not that bad at all," commented Rothbauer afterward. "We had a real tough weekend with very high temperature conditions. I was able to still fight with the best and after almost half of the season I am only one point out of the third position in the overall championship ranking. So I'm in a good spot heading into the second half of the racing season."

In his first moto of the Class S Open, K&N rider Wedenig got off to a very solid start. In the off-road section Wedenig was able to get around Suzuki rider Heinz Hochreiter, which put him into the number two spot. He then set his sights on the race leader KTM rider Lukas Höllbacher. On the second lap Wedenig managed to get around Höllbacher to take over the lead. Although he continued to push hard, track and weather conditions wouldn't allow him to pull away, and with only a few laps remaining Höllbacher regained the lead leaving Wedenig to secure the second place.

In the second moto Wedenig again got off to a great start and he pressed the leaders the entire race. With conditions being as they were, Wedenig held on to finish third in the race and third overall for the day.

"Third overall is a great result again," said Wedenig. "I am glad to have managed the heat that well and I liked this new high-speed track a lot. In overall ranking I am now in third position, so this is a great spot for me as well going into the second half of the racing season."

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